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If you aren't outraged, you haven't been paying attention.

In November 2000, American democracy was hijacked by a gang of lying, arrogant, power-drunk fascists. Since then, they have been shredding Constitutional democracy, and Americans' rights and liberties, as fast as they can ram their legislation through a compliant Congress with the approval of unprecedently manipulated public opinion.

Few people are still alive who lived through the Hitler era of the 1930s in Germany (they are in their 80s now, at least); but those who are, and those who have studied and written about that era, see how similar things are in the U.S. today.

At this point (May 2003), dissent is still theoretically legal, but the police are increasingly targeting anyone who disagrees with the fascists' line at public events; and if the horribly misnamed Domestic Security Enhancement Act ("Patriot II") passes in Congress, the Feds will be able to take away the citizenship of, and deport to any place on earth, anyone who "supports" a "terrorist" organization. So when the Bush gang decide that the Sierra Club is a "terrorist" organization because it opposes drilling for oil in wildlife refuges that the administration claims is "necessary for national security", or that the National Council of Churches is a "terrorist" organization because it opposes the rounding up "for security reasons" of Middle Eastern men who have not been accused of any crime, they can come after YOU.

So read through the article below on the nature of fascism, think about how it applies to the current occupants of Federal power, and then get angry and do something about it: write letters to the newspaper, write letters to Congress, give money to any effective party or organization working for change, attend demonstrations, talk to your neighbors and your friends and fellow members of any groups you belong to. Here are some places you can join other people who have gotten the picture:

If you aren't familiar with these organizations and what they stand for, or if you've heard third-party propaganda slamming them but have never taken the time to find out the truth, go follow some of those links now.

THE IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS OF FASCISM

By Dr. Lawrence Britt
Free Inquiry Magazine  / Spring 2003

Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, studied the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile). He found the regimes all had 14 things in common, and he calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. The article is titled 'Fascism Anyone?', and appears in Free Inquiry's Spring 2003 issue on page 20.

The 14 characteristics are:

  1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism -- Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
  2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights -- Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need". The people tend to 'look the other way' or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
  3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause -- The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
  4. Supremacy of the Military -- Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
  5. Rampant Sexism -- The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
  6. Controlled Mass Media -- Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or through sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in wartime, is very common.
  7. Obsession with National Security -- Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
  8. Religion and Government are Intertwined -- Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
  9. Corporate Power is Protected -- The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
  10. Labor Power is Suppressed -- Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely or are severely suppressed.
  11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts -- Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
  12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment -- Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses, and even forego civil liberties, in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
  13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption -- Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions, and who use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
  14. Fraudulent Elections -- Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against (or even the assassination of) opposition candidates, the use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and the manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

This page last updated January 4, 2015.